Agitator



Nov. 25, 1941. R. H. VERMILLION 2,263,790

AGITATOR Original Filed Sept. 25, 1938 INVENTOR.

- L) MTTORNEY.

Patented Nov. 25, 1941 AGITATOR Raymond H. Vcrmillion, Los Angeles,Calif., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Brinck Engineering Company,Inc., Los Angeles, Calif., a corporation of California Originalapplication September 23, 1938, Serial No. 231,387. Divided and thisOctober 16, 1939, Serial N0. 299,701

application 2 Claims. 259-107) This invention is an agitator, thepresent application being a division of my copending application Ser.No, 231,387, filed September 23, 1938.

It is an object of the invention to provide an agitator, applicable toprocessing apparatus such l as employed for roasting coffee and thelike.

More particularly it is an object of the invention to provide anagitator for spreading out and tumbling material and moving itcircumferentially and radially back and forth in a processing chamber,such as the oven or the cooler of a coffee roasting apparatus. 3

Further objects of the invention will be readily understood from thefollowing description of the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. l is a side elevation, partly in axial section, of a coffeeroasting apparatus embodying the invention.

Fig- 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

The agitator is particularly applicable, and is herein described inconnection with the oven and with the cooling chamber of a coffeeroasting apparatus. 7

As an instance of such apparatus, the material to be processed, such asa green coffee, is supplied via funnel 'l to a roasting oven 2, and adischarge spout 8 leads from the roasting oven to a cooling chamber 3.From the cooling chamber the roasted coffee is discharged via a spout 9.Chaff from the roasted coffee may be withdrawn from the cooling chamber,3 via a spout l2, in which a fan I3 is mounted, the chaff dischargingvia the outlet 14 of the fan into a suitable sack (not shown) Supply ofgreen coffee to the roasting oven, via

the funnel I, may be controlled as disclosed in my aforementionedcopending application Ser. No. 231,387, filed September 23, 1938. A door22 controls discharge of roasted coffee from the roasting oven to thespout 8, and a door'23 controls discharge of roasted coffee from thecooling chamber 3 to the spout 9.

In the roasting oven 2, the green coffeewhich is supplied via the funnel1 is spread out on the base of the oven and each individual coffee beanmoved around the oven for centrifugal discharge via the open door.

For thus tumbling the individual coffee beans and moving the coffee inthe oven, an agitator is employed. The agitator preferably comprises ahub fixed on a shaft 3! and having a diametrical arm 31 fixed to theupper end of the hub below, the heating elements 32. Shanks 38 dependfrom the arm 31 and terminate in lateral fingers which just clear thebase of the-oven 2.

The fingers are adapted to move through the ly from the base of the ovensuch distance as to move the entire mass of coffee beans around the ovenwithout the individual beans tumbling over the upper edges of thepropellers, but plow through the mass of coffee beans below its $111!face, with the propelling fingers extending upwardly from the base ofthe oven only such restricted distance that the individual coffee beansresting on the base of the oven are tumbled over the fingers, therebyturning the individual beans over and over on the base of the oven. Forexample, the fingers may be rods of the same or smaller cross-sectionalareathan the shanks 38 .from which they laterally project, so that thefingers contact the coffee beans throughout a. vertical distance whichatmost is only several times the clearance between the fingers and thebase of the oven, and which clearance is just sufficient for free sweepof the fingers without binding on the base of the oven. v

The shanks 38 are rotatably adjustable in bear.-

ings 40 of the arm 31 and may be locked in adjusted position by setscrews 4|, soth at the fingers may be positioned in any desired angularrelation to radii of rotation of the agitator.

The hub 35 preferably forms a tapering b aille 42 for directing thecoffee awayifrom the axis of rotation; and the fingers are adjusted sothat while the door 22 is closed and during rotation of the arm31 asindicated by arrow A (Fig. 2) ,the fingers move through the coffee,spreading it out and tumbling the individual coffee beans over thefingers and over and over on the base of the oven as above described,and at the same time moving the mass of individually tumbling beansaround the oven and radially back and forth therein. For this purpose,one finger, designated 39a, engages the coffee adjacent the bafile 42 sothat in addition to tumbling the individual beans over the finger ittends to centrlfugally move the mass of tumbling beans; and anotherfinger.

designated 39b, tumbles the individual beans over the finger and alsotends to centripetally move the mass of individually tumbling beans. Theradially outer fingers, designated 39c, tumble the individual beans overthe fingers and also tend to centrifugally move the mass of individuallytumbling beans, and as the coffee collects at the outer periphery of theoven it flows back and over the fingers 39c into the path of the finger3912, so that it is again spread out over the entire area of the oven,When the door 22 is opened, the fingers in addition to tumbling theindividual beans over the fingers move the mass of coffee around theoven and eventually centrifugally discharge all of the roasted coffeethrough the open door and into the spout 8.

In the cooling chamber 3 the roasted coffee which is supplied via thespout 8 is similarly spread out and turned over and over, and movedaround the cooling chamber and back and forth therein as long as thedoor 23 remains closed, and is then centrifugally discharged via saiddoor when it is opened. During this movement of the roasted coffee, thefan I3 draws air into the cooling chamber via a screen 45 at theperiphery of the cooling chamber diametrically opposite the spout l2,and thence across the cooling chamber and outwardly via the spout [2,the entrance to which is preferably screened as shown at 46. The roastedcoffee is thus cooled prior to its discharge via the door 23, whilechaff is drawn into the spout l2 from whence it is discharged at theoutlet l4.

For moving the roasted coffee in the coolin chamber, an agitator 50 isemployed, similar in all respects to the agitator 30 and therefore notdescribed in detail. The hub of this agitator is fixed on the shaft 3|which depends from the roasting oven 2 and thence through the coolingchamber 3.

The shaft 3| may be driven by an electric motor 60 which may also drivethe fan I3; the motor being preferably mounted below the cooling chamber3; with one end of its shaft adapted for axially-alined directconnection with the shaft of the fan l3 as shown at (H, and with theother end of its shaft forming a worm drive for the shaft 3|, with saidworm drive housed within a casing e2,

An automatic control, not shown in this application but described indetail in my aforementioned copending application, supplies a measuredquantity of green coffee via the funnel 1 to the roasting oven 2, andopens the door '22 after a predetermined time interval, for discharge ofthe roasted coffee into the cooling chamber 3, and then opens the door23 after a predetermined time interval, for discharge of the cooledroasted coffee via the spout 9.

For this purpose the doors 2223 are preferably electrically controlledwith automatically timed actuation of the electrical controls to providethe desired cycle of operation. As an instance, the doors 22--23 arerespectively actuated by solenoids 82-433. The door 23 is preferably asliding door which is positively opened when its solenoid .83 isenergized, and which is preferably closed by a spring l8 when itssolenoid is 'deenergized. The door 22 is preferably a hinged door,permitting opening and closing without the pressure which may begenerated in the oven 2 tending to bind the door; and this hinged doorpreferably has a lock 85 (described in detail in myaforementionedcopending application), whereby when the solenoid '82 is energized itelevates a slide 85, thereby first swinging the lock at its pivot 81 soas to release the lock, and then swinging the door 22 to open position.When the solenoid 82 is deenergized, a spring 19 lowers the slide 86,thereby permitting the door 22 to swing to closed position by gravity,and then swinging the lock 85 at its pivot 81 so as to automaticallyengage for securing the door in closed position.

In operation, with the oven 2 heated, a measured quantity of greencoffee is supplied thereto, the solenoid 82 being deenergized so thatthe door 22 is closed, and the solenoid 83 being energized fordischarging from the cooling chamber 3 the batch of coffee which hasbeen roasted during the preceding cycle of operation.

The agitator 38, due to the angular disposition of its fingers aspreviously described, spreads out and tumbles the coffee over thefingers and over and over on the base of the oven 2, and at the sametime moves it around the oven and radially back and forth therein. Thesolenoid 83 is then deenergized and the door 23 closes; and the solenoid82 is then energized, after a predetermined roasting period, therebyopening the door 22 for discharging the roasted coffee from the oven 2into the cooling chamber 3. The solenoid 82 remains energized for anappreciable time, so that the door 22 remains open for a time intervalsufiicient to insure all the roasted coffee being centrifugallydischarged from the oven 2 responsive to rotation of the agitator 3G.The solenoid 82 is then deenergized and the door 22 closed, preparatoryto the next batch of green coffee being supplied to the oven 2.

The roasted coffee which is discharged into the cooling chamber 3 (thedischarge door 23 of which is closed) is spread out and tumbled over thefingers of the agitator 50 and over and. over on the base of the coolingchamber and at the same time is moved around the cooling chamber andradially back and forth therein. The solenoid 83 is then energized,after a predetermined cooling period, thereby opening the door 23 fordischarge of the roasted coffee via the spout 9. The solenoid 83 remainsenergized for an appreciable time, so that the door 23 remains open fora time interval sufficient to insure all the cooled coffee beingcentrifugally discharged from the chamber 3 responsive to rotation ofthe agitator 50.

The agitators 39 and '50 in the chambers 2 and 3 thus each provide forspreading out and tumbling the material being processed and moving itcircumferentially and radially back and forth while the discharge doorof the chamber is closed, and also provide for centrifugally dischargingthe material from the chamber while its door is open.

While the door of the chamber is closed, the fingers of the agitatorgradually work the material out to the periphery of the chamber whiletumbling the individual disintegrated particles of material over thefingers, but since the material cannot escape at the closed peripheralwall of the chamber it gradually accumulates at said periphery so as togradually back up into the path of travel of the finger 3% which inaddition to tumbling the individual particles of material over thefinger gradually works the material back toward the center of thechamber, from whence it is again gradually moved out toward the closedperipheral wall. When, however, the door of the chamber is open, thematerial which is gradually moved out toward the peripheral wall andthence circumferentially around the same, is discharged via the opendoor without again backing up into the path of travel of the finger39?), thereby clearing the chamber of the material which has beenprocessed.

I claim:

1. In combination, a chamber adapted for agitation of material thereinand having a peripheral wall, an agitator adapted for rotation in thechamber, the agitator having radially spaced and substantiallyhorizontal fingers adjacent the base of the chamber for contact withmaterial on said base for moving it relative to the base responsive tosaid rotation, the fingers being adapted for said contact throughoutsuch restricted vertical distance as to tumble individual portions ofthe material over the fingers and over and over on the base While movingthe material around the chamber, the fingers being angularly disposedwith relation to radii of rotation so that during rotation of theagitator a radially inner finger directs the material centrifugally, aradially intermediate finger directs the material centripetally, and aradially outer finger directs the material centrifugally toward theperipheral wall, for reverse flow therefrom and over the last mentionedfinger into the path of the intermediate finger.

2. In combination, a chamber having a material supporting base and anupstanding peripheral wall, and a rotatable agitator comprising a hubjournaled in the chamber for rotation concentric with the peripheralwall, radial arms on the hub, shanks depending from and rotatablyadjustably fixed relative to the radial arms, fingers projectinglaterally from the shanks adjacent the base of the chamber for contactwith material for moving it relative to the base responsive to rotationof the agitator, the fingers contacting the material throughout suchrestricted vertical distance as to tumble individual portions over thefingers and over and over on the base while moving the material aroundthe chamber, the shanks being rotatably adjustably fixed relative totheir radial arms for angularly disposing their fingers with relation toradii of rotation of the agitator so that a radially inner fingerdirects material centrifugally into the path of a radially intermediatefinger, the radially intermediate finger directs material centripetallyinto the path of the radially inner finger, and a radial outer fingerdirects material centrifugally against the peripheral wall for reverseflow therefrom and over the last mentioned finger into the path of theintermediate finger.

RAYMOND H. VERMILLION.

